Barcelona visits Mestalla with Rodri and Lamine Yamal in the starting eleven

In Barcelona's final match at what will soon be the old Mestalla—a stadium known for great footballing nights that is beginning its farewell ahead of the move to the New Mestalla next season—Rodri and Lamine Yamal are in Flick's starting eleven. The midfielder from Madrid makes his full debut for Barça on his 100th La Liga appearance, while Lamine has recovered from the blow to his left knee that kept him from training with his teammates on Saturday during the pre-match session, when he remained in the gym instead. Even so, he took to the Mestalla pitch with a protective bandage as a precaution.

Flick, who had run drills with Adeyemi, warned that they would be monitoring Lamine's progress, although at the end of the session the winger told him he felt fine.

For his part, Rodri, after getting minutes against Athletic Club and Rayo Vallecano, makes his first start for Barcelona, hitting a milestone figure in LaLiga. Following seven seasons in the Premier League with Manchester City, the Madrid-born midfielder reaches 100 LaLiga matches today, counting his spells at Villarreal, where he played for three years, and Atlético Madrid, where he spent one season.

FC Barcelona starting XI: Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Cubarsí, Gerard Martín, Xavi Espart, Rodri, Pedri, Fermín, Lamine Yamal, Gordon, and Raphinha.

Barcelona are league leaders and could go three points ahead of Real Madrid. Valencia, on the other hand, sit seventeenth in the standings: they have only managed to collect one point and score one goal in the first three matchdays, coming off a painful recent defeat against Deportivo at Riazor, where they also scored two own goals.

As for Valencia, during the two matchdays played at Mestalla, the Valencianista fans have shown their fed-up frustration and anger, particularly towards Carlos Corberán. The poor sporting form, the controversial end to the transfer window, and the press conference by the general director of football, Ron Gourlay, have heightened tensions. Several Valencia supporter groups have called on fans to enter the stadium after the 19th minute in protest against the board and the club's majority shareholder for the last 12 years, Singapore-based Peter Lim.

Corberán's side, who renewed his contract until 2028, suffers from numerous injury absences. The Valencia manager will be without Guido Rodríguez, Justin de Haas, Sadiq Umar, Luis Rioja, José Copete, and Diego López, in addition to the late withdrawal of Dimitri Foulquier. Faced with this situation, he opted for a system with five defenders and a debut for Otorbi.

Valencia starting XI: Dimitrievski; Maffeo, Arnau, Pepelu, Diakhaby, Jesús Vázquez; Dieng, Ugrinic, Otorbi; Guerra, and Danjuma.

Thus, Valencia will have to face one of the opponents they have struggled against most in recent times, inside a turbulent Mestalla that is also preparing for its farewell.

If the planned timeline is met, Valencia will begin the 2027-28 season at the Nou Mestalla, bringing an end to more than a century of history at the current venue. Mestalla, inaugurated on May 20, 1923, has played host to more than 3,000 matches.

Barça have visited it 115 times, recording a record of 43 wins, 30 draws, and 42 defeats. In the league, the Blaugrana club has played 91 matches at Mestalla, with 37 wins, 23 draws, and 31 defeats.